Arsenal vs FC Koln: Watch as German fans take over home stand at Emirates amid crowd chaos
Posted Friday, September 15, 2017 by Dailystar.co.uk
ARSENAL’S Europa League game against FC Koln has been delayed amid safety concerns as thousands of German fans attempted to storm into the Emirates Stadium.
Footage shot by fellow supporters at the north London stadium show police struggling to control the situation as a boisterous crowd of Koln fans were said to have attempted to gain access to the ground without tickets.
One man was seen leaving the area with a bandaged head and blood-soaked clothes.
Another video appears to show FC Koln fans breaking through barricades, pushing fences over while throwing kicks and punches at people in ugly scenes near the away end of the ground.
Police dogs had to be deployed as violence amongst Cologne fans continued to spread.
Police delayed kick-off for an hour after FC Koln fans tried to gain access to the Emirates
Supporters of the two clubs already inside the ground needed to be separated by stewards, as video shot by Evening Standard reporter James Benge showed a mini clash between rival fans.
"Another flare up, stewards massing to keep them apart but there's a tinderbox atmosphere in that bit of Clock End," he wrote on Twitter.
"Fans eyeing each other up."
There are now fears that the game could be cancelled as reports suggest Koln supporters continue to pile into the Emirates, with an onlooker describing the away stand as “dramatically expanded”.
Fans of both clubs needed to be separated by stewards as the chaos continued at the Emirates
Arsenal fans have been left frustrated by the delayed kick-off, as news of the disturbance failed to reach some heading towards the game.
"Arsenal, why tell us to get here for 7 if you're not even going to open the gates," one supporter wrote on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, an army of Koln fans shut down central London as they marched through the city singing songs, igniting flares as they went.
Video shot by an onlooker captured a fight along the route as tensions threatened to spill over on the route to the stadium earlier this evening.
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